County school board approves bids for two activity buildings

Centers will be at Lake View and Northport schools

Published: Tuesday, April 9, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, April 8, 2013 at 11:34 p.m.

TUSCALOOSA | The Tuscaloosa County Board of Education on Monday approved bids that came in over budget for the construction of activity buildings at Northport and Lake View elementary schools.

The budget for the construction of an activity building at Lake View Elementary was $625,000. But the lowest bid came from Trawick Contractors Inc. at $786,796.

Michael Ellis of Ellis Architects proposed adjusting the blueprint for the Lake View building to exclude concrete masonry units around three exterior sides of the gym in the building to save money. He also suggested removing one of the exterior porches, getting rid of all hard tile wainscots in the restrooms, not polishing the concrete floors and deleting the vinyl composition tile flooring from the coach’s office.

Ellis said those adjustments would trim about $76,000 from the bid amount and bring the project to $710,796. But he said the amount still is $85,000 over the original budget.

The construction budget for the Northport Elementary activity building was set at $648,101. The lowest base bid was $715,000 from K&A Builders.

Jim Ward, principal architect of WSV Architects, proposed reducing the construction cost by not reconditioning the soil, omitting all polished concrete and making several other tweaks.

Incorporating his suggestions would bring the construction contract down to $658,406, about $10,000 over budget.

The board approved the adjusted amounts for both projects.

Joe Boteler was the only board member who didn’t vote in favor of the bids.

“I have to say this: I would be remiss if I didn’t once again say that when we need career tech centers and classrooms, activity centers should not take priority,” Boteler said. “Activity centers are things that belong in the community and are something that the community should take care of.”

Last year, when the board approved spending money to build activity centers at several schools, Boteler strongly objected to the idea saying that the money should have gone to building a new Holt High School, which would replace the oldest high school in the school system.

At that meeting and at ones that followed, other board members said they made commitments with the county commission to build the activity buildings.

<p>TUSCALOOSA | The Tuscaloosa County Board of Education on Monday approved bids that came in over budget for the construction of activity buildings at Northport and Lake View elementary schools.</p><p>The budget for the construction of an activity building at Lake View Elementary was $625,000. But the lowest bid came from Trawick Contractors Inc. at $786,796.</p><p>Michael Ellis of Ellis Architects proposed adjusting the blueprint for the Lake View building to exclude concrete masonry units around three exterior sides of the gym in the building to save money. He also suggested removing one of the exterior porches, getting rid of all hard tile wainscots in the restrooms, not polishing the concrete floors and deleting the vinyl composition tile flooring from the coach's office.</p><p>Ellis said those adjustments would trim about $76,000 from the bid amount and bring the project to $710,796. But he said the amount still is $85,000 over the original budget.</p><p>The construction budget for the Northport Elementary activity building was set at $648,101. The lowest base bid was $715,000 from K&A Builders.</p><p>Jim Ward, principal architect of WSV Architects, proposed reducing the construction cost by not reconditioning the soil, omitting all polished concrete and making several other tweaks.</p><p>Incorporating his suggestions would bring the construction contract down to $658,406, about $10,000 over budget. </p><p>The board approved the adjusted amounts for both projects.</p><p>Joe Boteler was the only board member who didn't vote in favor of the bids.</p><p>“I have to say this: I would be remiss if I didn't once again say that when we need career tech centers and classrooms, activity centers should not take priority,” Boteler said. “Activity centers are things that belong in the community and are something that the community should take care of.”</p><p>Last year, when the board approved spending money to build activity centers at several schools, Boteler strongly objected to the idea saying that the money should have gone to building a new Holt High School, which would replace the oldest high school in the school system.</p><p>At that meeting and at ones that followed, other board members said they made commitments with the county commission to build the activity buildings.</p><p>Reach Jamon Smith at jamon.smith@tuscaloosanews.com or 205-722-0204.</p>